The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-11
LIFE TN CROWDED CELLS.
THE DIsCoMFoRTs OF LIVING IN
JAIL AT PRESENT.

Fifty-Five Prisoners Slowed Away in
Thirty-Two Cells-The Adjournment
OF Both the Courts Permits the Jail
to Fill Up.
Life behind the bars is not a pleasant
thing under the most favorable circum-
stances, but when crowded into small, hot
cells, where air is not accustomed to
meander, when the thermometer is toying
with the nineties, Jail life is ten fold
worse. But add TO these many
discomforts a cell mate, and they
are doubled. All of these very unpleasant
things have the occupants of the Chatham
county Jail to bear while the finishing
touches are being put upon the new and
handsome structure that is desidned for
their abode The old Jail contains forty
three cells. Two of them are for the insane
and nine for females. One of these is not
in condition for occupation, leaving eight
at the disposal of the women of the county
who are inclined u disagree with the law.
For males there are thirty-two cells, and
they are well filed.
The Jail now contains fifty-five male pris-
oners. The white men are Thomas Cassidy,
charged with murder; James Ballentyne,
assault with intent to murder; Robert Pier
rat, forgery; j. S. Collins, assault and
breach of the peace: j. A. Nightingale and
Edward Roy, vagrancy. The negroes are
Adam Matthew, William Dixon, Ben
Young, Alfred Walton, George Gillen,
William Henry Baker, Abe Grant, George
Sans and John Colne, burglary; William
Harris and Cuffy Morgan, horse stealing;
Morgan Jones, arson; Adam Pride, stab
bling; Edward James, States witness; Viii
liam Jackson, attempt to commit felony;
William jackson, rape; Allen Wilson, riot;
Mack Holloway, cattle stealing; Thomas
Green, accessory to murder; Fred Wright,
murder; Paul Campbell, assault with in
tent TO murder; Amos Denslow, lar
ceny after trust; John Wallace, COM
mon cheat and swlndler; Isaac
Wesley, assault with intent to rape; Wesley
Hamilton, held for the United States for
retailing liquor without paying the tax;
Joseph Haywood, lunatic; Joe Randolph
and James Beattie, larceny from the house
OF over $50; Charles Harris, Frank Wadley,
George Williams, Edward WILLY, John Rob
inson, Grantus Hamilton, James Galloway,
George Henry, Ben Williams and Ned
Coombs, simple larceny; Swinton Gay
vagrancy; John Force, Abram Bacon, Peter
Bacon, Bricky Jackson, Peter Weixeheimer
and Horace Hicks, assault and battery; j.
j. MIN and Henry Miller, disorderly con
duct; Peter Crevalier, larceny; and James
Moore and w. E. McKenna, gambling.
The detention of SO many prisoners re-
quires that they should be doubled up
Tom Cassidy, of course, has TO have a cell
to himself, and it is necessary TO put forty
six of the fifty-five prisoners into twenty
three cells This is by no means COM
Portable, but as the guilty ones would
not wait until court met again
and cleared out the jail they will have to
grin and bear it. Twenty-eight of these
prisoners are awaiting trial before the Su-
perior Court, one to appear as witness in
that court, and one is sentenced to the peni-
tertiary for life and is awaiting the decision
of the Supreme Court. Twenty are awaiting
trial in the City Court, seven are serving SEN
fences in Jail, one is United States pris-
oner, two are from Pierce county, one a
Bryan county prisoner and one lunatic
The courts will not meet again until No
vember, and there are yet six weeks to
wait before any of the prisoners can be
turned out, so that there is every prospect
that all the cells will hold two, and possibly
more, occupants before that time. This
crowded condition of tine Jail has raised the
question whether some provision should not
be made for one of the courts to sit all the
year round, but as yet no suggestions have
been made on that point.